१८ फेब्रुवारी, २०११

Jesse Jackson appears at the Wisconsin protests and compares it to the recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia...

... and leads the crowd in a singing of "We Shall Overcome" — which is probably more inspiring than the trio of recorded songs I heard the people sing/sway along with yesterday: "We're Not Gonna Take It," "Revolution," and "We Didn't Start the Fire."

I'm working at my desktop computer, writing this, and a text message comes in from Meade, who's gone back to the demonstration, to get his extra share of abuse, and the text is: "Rev j about to give speech." The news report I linked to above is from 10 a.m. So Jackson's been there for a long time. Anyway, I should have the video soon.

Meanwhile, oddly enough, before we left for the rally this morning, without knowing Jackson would arrive, I picked up my old "Jesse Jackson '88" button and told Meade he should wear on his lapel as part of a blending-in strategy. Am I psychic?! (He declined the button. Blending-in is more about being inconspicuous.)

As for the Wisconsin-is-like-Egypt theme... man, am I sick of that. I'm seeing it everywhere. For, example, today...

P1060744

"Hey Scottie I hear Egypt is looking for a leader. So is Wisconsin!" says that guy, who was very proud of his sign. And see the woman next to him? In the red hat? Her sign says "Walker like an Egyptian" or something like that. And remember these charming folks from yesterday?

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UPDATE: Jackson is still not out there, as the folks wait in the cold. It's dinnertime, maybe they have to pee, and they're only just now getting to sing "We Shall Overcome." Hey, how bad are your tribulations, compared to segregation? You're cold, you're hungry, you have to pee, and you have to pay 5.8% of your salary into your own pension fund. The oppression!

UPDATE 2: Jackson finally speaks.

३६ टिप्पण्या:

chickelit म्हणाले...

...I heard the people sing/sway along with yesterday...


Jackson leading a sing 'n' sway is an LOL

Michael म्हणाले...

Well, at least there is a black person.

KCFleming म्हणाले...

We shall overcome?
How the mighty ideals have fallen.

Once, that phrase meant something about the right to vote, the right to be free.

Now it's about the right to free Viagra for state workers.

Christ almighty.

Trooper York म्हणाले...

Hey if they can only get Al Sharpton and Cindy Sheehan they will have an unassisted triple play.

They are the Tinkers to Evers to Chance of douchenozzles.

Sprezzatura म्हणाले...

I blame Paul Ryan for the phenomenon that's bothering Althosue.

Rick म्हणाले...

Nice to know that teachers think the Wisconsin situation is like that in Egypt.

Bruce Hayden म्हणाले...

This is when you know that it has descended below absurd. It also doesn't help that we see SEIU protesters. Did that union start taking in teachers? Or are they there in solidarity? And how far did they all have to come to the protests?

I think that it is easy to get the impression that this is a happening for the left, nation wide. It no longer really has much to do with reining in teachers' union benefits and power.

As Trooper York pointed out:

Hey if they can only get Al Sharpton and Cindy Sheehan they will have an unassisted triple play.

Palladian म्हणाले...

Everyone sure looks hungry and oppressed. Joe and Suzy Meathead in the last picture look just like starving Egyptians!

Chennaul म्हणाले...

Irene found this photo of Jesse.

Jesssseee!!!

Next to him someone has a-

Impeachment is an Option sign up.

I want to know-with the Republicans holding the majority in both the Wisconsin House and Senate-how is that going to happen?

KCFleming म्हणाले...

So are the Egyptian-equivalent Teachers and SEIU thugs gonna rape an anchorwoman and scream Jew Jew, just like the mob in Cairo?

Sean68 म्हणाले...

Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Western culture's got to go! Oops. Sorry. Wrong protest.

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

I was wondering why those huge speakers were on the east side of the Capitol when I was up there. He must have been there shortly after I left.

Sooooo sorry I missed him. (eyeroll)

Bruce Hayden म्हणाले...

You almost wonder how Jackson was able to graduate from divinity school, and,indeed, whether he was an affirmative action admit and graduate.

I just don't see the logic. In those other countries, the people were protesting the government. In Madison, they were protesting in favor of government workers. And, in those countries, they protested against the leaders of the country, and in this instance, the protests are fully backed by the president.

I know what Jackson is doing - agitating for the continuation of these government employees feeding at the tax subsidized trough, paid for by everyone else, who aren't so lucky. And, yes, trying to protect a core Democratic party constituency.

But that doesn't mean that it makes logical sense.

Rick म्हणाले...

The liberal intelligentsia is gathering in Madison.

coketown म्हणाले...

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not have to contribute more than .5% of their earnings to their fully funded, 100% government-guaranteed pensions."

Yep, it's civil rights history in the making.

अनामित म्हणाले...

"Hey if they can only get Al Sharpton and Cindy Sheehan they will have an unassisted triple play."

More like the infamous moronic convergence.

Sprezzatura म्हणाले...

"It no longer really has much to do with reining in teachers' union benefits and power."

The WI Rs aren't messing w/ the so-called power.

Any serious con should be more upset w/ the WI Rs than these protesting libs are.

Why go after pay and benefits? This is idiotic.

The WI Rs are clearly open to handing out tax breaks, that worsen the budget situations, so obviously they think it's okay to take actions that hurt the budget if there is some sort of future payoff. And, having good schools is indispensable to future prospects because you need smart kids--not to mention attracting and retaining businesses is aided if workers think they're kids will get a good education in a particular area.

A serious con would go after the contractual circumstances that allow bad teachers/principals/administrators to remain entrenched.

If anything, high pay and benefits may be necessary to attract good folks, after someone gets rid of the idiots. That would be a smart fight--"for the kids" as it goes.

WI Rs are fools, just like the protesters Althouse is displaying.

J म्हणाले...

the Tweekhousers have beaten the WI teachers for long enough--now, they got their cody o'briens on and can beat the sh*t out of the nurses and health-care thugs. Tough guys, like Mitt Rammedly hair dryer tough.

wordsmith2 म्हणाले...

From ProfessorBainbridge.com, "The case against public sector unions":

"In effect, public sector unionism thus means that representatives of the union will often be on both sides of the collective bargaining table. On the one side, the de jure union leaders. On the other side, the bought and paid for politicians."

And I have a friend posting on Facebook that the real issue here, in connection with the union-busting, is that this will destroy the "financial foundation of the Democratic Party." Apparently the Democrats figure that they can't get anyone to contribute to their campaigns except through mandatory union dues. Is this really a meme that opponents of this bill want to establish?

Bartender Cabbie म्हणाले...

Where is the Very Reverend Jackson's church located?

J म्हणाले...

5:28--so you ready to make some anti-union rants to the Madison police and firefighter unions, all P-E, wordsmith the Hero, instead of bullying teachers and nurses?

Unlikely, as like Mitt Rammedly winning 2012

Irene म्हणाले...

(Here I repost what I said in the Stalin/Flying Monkeys thread):

I wonder what the unions paid for the Jesse Jackson appearance?

Methadras म्हणाले...

This is a labor dispute and now it's turned into a fight for 'democracy'. As if unions and their thuggery even understand what that means. Fucking idiots. That's what being in a union means anymore. Protection for the lowest common denominator.

Unknown म्हणाले...

Bringing in Jesse Jackson is a little like the French in 1940 replacing Maurice Gamelin with Maxime Weygand in the faint and pathetic hope it will somehow stop the tanks.

The difference is Weygand had at least been a hero, Jackson is a corrupt old extortionist.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Wisconsin public employees are oppressed just like blacks under Jim Crow in the old days in the South.

And, if you don't believe that...

You're a RACIST!!

RACIST!!

Even thought they all look like they're white.

Automatic_Wing म्हणाले...

Even thought they all look like they're white.

I think the gut holding the HosniHitler sign is 1/32 Cherokee Indian. Or something.

Automatic_Wing म्हणाले...

Er, the guy holding the sign. Whatever.

Peter V. Bella म्हणाले...

Jesse who?

Eric म्हणाले...

Ah, there's fighting on the savanna, so the vultures have started to arrive. Michael Moore and Al Sharpton can't be far behind.

Methadras म्हणाले...

They think they are all clever with their sloganeering because that's all they have. Aren't leftards smart?

libhom म्हणाले...

The Wisconsin pro democracy protests certainly are inspired, in part, by the pro democracy protests in Egypt. All the big money from corporations and the rich made Walker's election as fake as the ones Mubarek held.

Alex म्हणाले...

Uh, Wisconsin just elected Scott Walker is a free and open election. What is wrong with leftists? Are they collectively unhinged, insane, deranged?

M. Simon म्हणाले...

Egypt?

I think WI already has a new government (I'm from Rockford so correct me if I'm wrong) and what we are seeing is the agitation of the counter revolutionaries.

WV: biones - Jesse Jackson has stolen your biones.

M. Simon म्हणाले...

The WI Rs are clearly open to handing out tax breaks,

So you are saying that theft is now a virtue?

Or are you complaining that the government should stop stealing from everyone instead of just the favored few.

If it is the latter, I agree.

BTW why isn't WI a med-pot state? There is revenue in that. And the med pot folks (for now) are glad to pay.

M. Simon म्हणाले...

In fact I suggested that to a Dem representative in the WI legislature

M. Simon म्हणाले...

Jesse Jackson is revered.

Would that be as in hammered into cookware? Or Paul?

WV: pronvid - I swear you can't make this sh*t up. Really.

What kind of pron would that be? Scrooge McDuck and a bevy of teachers in his swimming pool pron.